Double or Nothing
by Lohikarme
Summary: In the Unovan League, seven badges takes you to the Elite Four. Beating the Champion gets you a job and enough prize money to last a lifetime. Five badges doesn't get you to the Elite Four, but five badges gets you access to the Trainer's Fund, my best hope for saving my family's daycare. I'm starting my journey eight years late, but what other choice do I have?
1. In Which an Adventure Begins

My father left on his pokémon journey at the young age of ten and called it quits after he got his first badge. It was, he said, simultaneously the worst and best time of his life. His servine, Totter, would nod in agreement. He didn't like to talk about why he quit so early, but I always thought it was because he lost his team to Team Plasma. The timeline fit, and Team Plasma was a taboo subject in our household.

My mother was born and raised in the same small house we lived in now, several hours away from the nearest town. Her parents had since retired to Accumula town because of its proximity to a hospital, but my mother stayed and managed the family pokémon daycare. We didn't get many customers because of how far out of the way we were, but all pokémon that came into our care left happier than they came.

For as long as I had been alive, my expectations were simple: be kind, be good, and carry on the family business. My days were routine. Wake up, tend to the daycare pokémon, bike to school, come home, do my homework, play with the daycare pokémon, go to bed. All of my free time was spent with the daycare pokémon- a habit borne when I was ten and every other student in my class of twenty went on their pokémon journeys and I stayed behind. When they came back, they were so different that it felt like a gap that could never be bridged. So I stayed.

Going on a pokémon journey of my own had never crossed my mind. I was always busy helping out around the daycare anyways.

Then, when I was fifteen, the daycare was destroyed in the aftermath of a fight between Tornadus and Thundurus that caused a huge tornado to demolish our house and the daycare structure. The Accumula community chipped in to help us relocate, of course, but the damage was done. My mother's beloved audino, Deedee, was badly injured as she was rescuing our daycare pokémon, and our daycare was closed for over a year as we tried to pick up the pieces of our life. When we reopened, business was almost non existent and our savings were gone. This included the funds we had stashed for sending me to school to get my Breeder's license- a necessity to run a daycare.

I needed that money, and I needed that license. Breeder's schooling was expensive and would have been a reach even with the funds we had saved up. Without them, I could never have afforded to go. So, it was decided that I would go on a pokémon journey. At the higher tiers, battling was extremely lucrative, and every successive badge a trainer got gave them new government perks- their fifth badge would give them access to the Trainer's Fund, which would cover almost all direct costs from attending higher education.

My parents and I both agreed that I would finish my primary education before I left, which would give me the twofold advantage of becoming a legal adult and also being able to assist with the daycare for longer. I would leave on my eighteenth birthday.

Even though I knew that I needed to leave, the thought still terrified me. I had heard so many horrible stories from the trainers that passed by about their life on the road, and it seemed like every week there was a new flyer about a missing trainer. Although I supposed that last part wasn't as scary since they usually turned up a few months later, having been training in the wilderness for the time they were missing. But still.

For the week leading up to my birthday, my parents alternated between being overbearing and gone entirely. When I wasn't tending to our pokémon, I spent time with my neighbor, Matt, a foreign retired trainer and begging him for advice.

It wasn't a secret how anxious I was, but Matt did his best to reassure me. He let me interact with his team, something he had never done before because they were battling pokémon through and through. I had seen them practice before from a safe distance away, but I had never been allowed to feed them or pet them. I could see why, though. His reuniclus was sweet but seemed entirely unaware of her strength, as I learned the hard way when I was playing with her at the age of ten and she got excited, picked me up, and hurled me headfirst into a tree. I broke my arm (easily healed) and chipped my front tooth (wasn't covered under insurance and cost too much to heal fully). That was the end of my up close and personal interactions with his team.

* * *

On the big day, my mother's audino woke me up the way she usually did, with a soft pat to the face. I sat up and stretched as she clambered onto my lap and headbutted my chin, looking for ear scritches that I gladly gave her. We stayed like that for a few moments as the sun filtered in and I slowly began to register the sounds of eating downstairs.

I nudged Audino out of my lap and began to get dressed for the day while she burrowed into the warm divot I left behind. It was too early to be anxious, but I could feel the beginnings of a wurmple party in my stomach as I tugged a shirt over my head and carefully selected which pair of shorts I wanted to wear out of the five identical pairs neatly folded in my drawer.

"Ready to go?" I asked Audino, who trilled and hopped out of my bed. She took my hand in a tiny pink paw and lead me downstairs, where my family and current daycare pokémon were all crowded around a tiny table.

I was greeted by a chorus of barks, chatters, and vocalizations as I took the only open chair. Seated at the front of the table were my mother, father, and Matt, all wearing cheesy pokéball hats and making jazz hands towards a large red and white cake that vaguely resembled a foongus.

"Happy birthday!" my parents chorused.

Matt passed me a cutting knife and winked. "Trainer tip: make sure that you always feed your pokémon first, or they might steal your meal."

I noticed that almost every pokémon in the room was staring at me as I quickly counted heads, then began to divide the cake. The foongus cake was a bright orange on the inside- maybe lansat berry flavored? Beside me, Audino was making grabby hands, so I passed her the first slice. The rest of the cake went quickly- one slice to everyone else. When I picked up my slice, my mother held out a hand. "Wait a second. Don't you know it's traditional to split your first meal with your starter?"

I paused. All of the pokémon in the room were either daycare regulars or my parents' own starters. Did one of our regular customers decide to give up their pokémon? I couldn't imagine that since all of them were so close to their humans.

My mother must have seen my confusion because she laughed and handed me a minimized pokéball. "Let him out, I'm sure he's hungry."

I let myself fantasize about what could be inside of that pokéball for a moment. Could it be a traditional Unovan starter? Or maybe a Kantoan eevee? No, my parents could never afford a rare pokémon like that, and I hadn't been scouted by the pokémon lab in Accumula. I maximized the ball. It was cool to the touch, and so light it was hard to imagine that a whole pokémon was inside. Both halves were gleamingly new, I noticed as I traced the release mechanism.

My mother seemed to want to say something, but my father quieted her with a soft touch to the arm. All of my mostly-forgotten anxiety from earlier had come back with a vengeance that I beat back with what I hoped was an eager smile.

My grip tightened on the ball and I closed my eyes. Inhaled. Pressed the release mechanism.

With a flash of red light, a small green ball hovered above the table, gurgling to itself. I stared down at it, speechless. I reached out with a shaking hand and poked the solosis, not entirely sure if it was real or not. How did we afford a solosis?

"Do you like him?" my father asked.

I reached out with a shaking hand and touched its outer layer, marveling at the slight give. The solosis- my solosis- stopped gurgling and looked at me. Something like a breath of air rattled in my head and I blinked. It cooed up at me, settling into my open hand. I could feel my heart melting.

"I think that's a yes, love," my mother murmured.

"You always seemed so taken with Reuniclus, that when your parents brought up the topic of your starter, I asked them if they wanted me to breed her and give you the egg. We didn't want to say anything because we weren't sure if he would be a ghastly or solosis, but I'm so glad you like him," Matt said.

I blinked and looked up. My cheeks and eyes were burning as I thanked all three of them profusely and cut up the cake into little sections my solosis could eat. I alternated between feeding him his crumbles and taking bites of the cake myself and in some far off corner of my brain I registered how delicious it was. But, I was far more taken by my pokémon. He was so small! I could easily cover his whole body with both hands, and I wondered how he would ever be able to hold his own in a pokémon battle, let alone become the fierce psychic Matt's Reuniclus was.

"He hatched last week, so your father and I have been training him a little bit, enough that he'll be able to hold his own on your way to Accumula. I bet you were wondering why we were gone so much, eh?" my mother said, wiping off frosting smeared on Audino's snout with a yellow kerchief. Around her, the seated pokémon were beginning to disperse as they finished their cake slices.

I offered my solosis another bite, and he stuck his tiny tongue out at me, face wrinkling up. I suppose that meant he was done. "Did you name him?" I asked.

"No, that's your job! Do you have any in mind?"

I shook my head. Despite all of my worrying about my pokémon journey, the thought of naming my team members had never crossed my mind. That quickly turned into fretting about other things I may have overlooked, but I swallowed it back and put my smile back on. "Thank you so much again Mom, Dad, Matt. I- I honestly don't have the words to thank you enough for this."

Matt laughed and scratched his beard. "Anything for you, kid. I know how much getting that Breeder's license means to you. And anyways, your dad has something else to give you."

My father's servine pressed a small, leaf-bound package into my hands.

"Totter wrapped it himself, you know," my father said.

I made a show of admiring the packaging. "Totter, this looks so nice! The leaves are so shiny and neat- you must have sent a long time on this."

Totter puffed out his chest. "Ser!"

I carefully peeled back the leaves and tried not to let my shock show on my face as I took out an Xtransceiver. For the second time that day, I wondered how in the world my parents afforded this, particularly since it seemed like a new model. "Thank you so much, wow," I said. I showed the watch to my solosis, who bumped into it and squeaked.

"I don't have to tell you that we can't get you another one, right?" my mother said. "So you better take good care of it, and call us every day when you're in range." She tapped her wrist, where a significantly clunkier model sat.

"Go on, try it out," my father urged.

I fastened the Xtransciever on my wrist and turned it on. It beeped, showing a small victini icon, and calibrated. Once finished, I clicked my mother's contact and smiled at her face on the screen. I looked up at her actual face. "I think it works," I said.

She grinned back, eyes wet. "Okay, photo time! I want to get one last picture before my little trainer before you go off into the great unknown." She motioned for me to pick up my solosis and I obeyed, winching slightly as he began gnawing on my thumb with sharp little teeth. Matt took out his old-fashioned camera and my parents crowded next to me, their own partners with them. Matt's camera flashed once, twice, then three times, and then he waved at us to look at the pictures he had taken. I blinked the spots out of my eyes and removed my thumb from my solosis' mouth.

"Sos," he peeped, chasing after my finger.

"We'll send these pictures to you in a few days- we don't want you getting homesick too fast!" my mother laughed, her voice pitched high. Her hands trembled slightly as she began picking up the leftover plates on the table. My father appeared in the hallway with my bag in his arms.

I swallowed. I guess it was time to leave, then. "Can I- can I get a hug for the road?" I didn't let my voice shake.

My mother laughed again, but some of the tension had left her face. "Of course, mi vida."

I let go of my solosis and hugged my parents tight. My father's hair was going up my nose and I was pretty sure that both Totter and Audino had joined the hug at some point, but it was home and most likely the last hug I would get from my parents for several months. As we let go, I noticed that both of my parents were visibly holding back tears. Audino was still holding onto my leg and wailed as my mother hefted her up and away. I swiped at my eyes and sniffled, turning around to toe my boots on and hoist my backpack up over my shoulders.

I opened the door, stepped outside, then looked back, wringing my hands. Both of my parents were waving, and Matt wasn't in the room anymore. I waved back and patted my solosis, who had settled back on my shoulder at some point.

I kept looking back at them as I walked down the dusty old road I had known all of my life, stopping to pet the daycare pokémon goodbye. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze was blowing, rustling the grass lining the path. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear pidove cawing as they took flight. My journey had begun.

* * *

Hey all! I'm planning for this to be a long-form fic that straddles a few genres, but is at its core a coming-of-age story. A few notes for the road ahead:

On naming- legendary and mythical pokemon have capitalized names. Pokemon whose names aren't known, unnamed pokemon, and pokemon species will be lowercase, but named pokemon (like Totter) and pokemon named after their species (like Audino) will keep their capitals.

On tags and ratings- tags and ratings may change, but I will always put new content warnings in the notes for the beginning of each chapter.

I'm so excited to finally begin posting this story! It's been rattling around in my head in some form or another for the past five years. I sincerely hope you enjoy and, was always, drop a comment if you liked a particular passage, have a question, or just want to chat. This is also crossposted on Ao3 under the same name.


	2. In Which Necessary Exposition is Had

"I guess you don't have a name yet, huh," I said, hitching my backpack higher.

In front of me, my solosis was spinning slowly around my head, softly chirruping from time to time. The sky was still a brilliant, beautiful blue, my shoulders were aching from the weight of my backpack, and I was positively dripping with sweat.

My solosis drew close to my face, close enough that I could see his tiny rows of teeth. "Sipi?"

"Do you want a name? I would feel kind of weird just calling you Solosis."

He flipped upside-down, almost brushing my nose.

I took that as agreement. "I'll look up some names, then. Say something when you hear what you like, okay?" I booted up my fancy new Xtransciever, fiddled with the opening settings, and found a name generator that looked good. "Ross? No, that sounds like red and you're green. Griffith? Irwin?"

My solosis gave no answer, just kept hovering in front of my face.

"Illim? Harmony? Ew, no. Connotations. Teo?" I pushed him to the side so that I could see where I was walking and he stayed there. "Jade? Josh?" Still no answer. Maybe he wanted a less traditional name. "Esper? That's pretty pretentious."

When my solosis still had no response, I decided to give up naming him for the moment. Besides, we were there anyways. The dusty path had widened, giving way to well-worn cobblestones and houses were beginning to become more common as we entered the suburbs. In fact, I could even see the Pokemon Center, painted a bright, cheery red.

The Pokemon Center doors slid open with a soft whirr and I sighed at the rush of cold air that hit my face. Thank everything good for air conditioning.

"Welcome to the Nuvema Pokemon Center! How many we help you?" the Nurse Joy on duty asked.

"Can I stay for the night here?" I asked.

"Of course. Let me just scan your trainer card and we'll get you set up upstairs," she said, holding out a hand.

I shook it.

The Nurse Joy blinked down at our hands and her smile become more forced as she let go. "Your trainer card, please."

"I- oh my goodness, I'm so sorry I thought-" I stammered, yanking my hand back. "What's a trainer card?"

She stared at me, her smile fading before she pasted it back on. "You need to get your trainer card to be eligible for Pokemon Center use and to be a legal trainer. Are you new to Unova?"

I shook my head. "No, no, I'm sorry! I just started my journey today."

"Oh, that makes more sense," the Nurse Joy said, smile reaching her eyes again. "I apologize for my reaction, but there have been some shady characters around recently. Do you need help getting your trainer card?"

"Yes, please," I said, trying to will the flush from my cheeks.

"Just go to Professor Juniper! She'll get you set up fast. Her research lab is a few blocks north of this center, but you can't miss it- there's a big sign calling it the Pokemon Lab. In fact, I just sent another kid up there. Maybe you'll run into him."

I nodded, hands creeping up to grasp at my backpack straps as I backed out the door.

The shadows cast by the Center were slinking across the ground, causing welcome breaks in the intense sunlight. As the Nurse Joy said, the lab was unmistakable when it finally came into sight. It was nearly twice the size of the other homes in the town. It was vaguely recognizable from the time in primary school when we took a field trip to meet the Professor and learn about the traditional Unovan starters, which I spent all of staring out the window.

Like in the Pokemon Center, the lab was beautifully air conditioned. The walls were a sparkling white and the floor was laid with a cheery red and white spiraled carpet. The reception desk was manned by a man in his mid-thirties looking bored to death. He visibly perked up when the door shut behind me with a soft chiming noise and beckoned me over.

"Howdy! What can I do for you?" he said.

"Do you know where Professor Juniper is? The Nurse Joy told me that I had to talk to her about getting a trainer license," I asked.

"I see, I see! You actually came at the perfect time. There's a new trainer who is probably just finishing with picking out his starter right now, so Juniper will only have to give her speech once. I'll show you- have we met before?" he interrupted himself.

I opened my mouth to answer when he cut me off with, "Ah, nevermind. You should hurry through those doors behind me- tell Juniper that you're looking for a license."

I stood there for a beat before following his directions. This room was smaller, with a tepig, an oshawott, and a snivy rolling on the ground together in the middle, while Professor Juniper and a young boy I didn't recognize sat around a desk.

"Hi? I'm looking for a license," I started.

Professor Juniper beamed, standing up and greeting me with a warm handshake. "Perfect, perfect. I was just about to start. Give me a second to get another starter bundle- get to know each other while I get it!"

She pulled me into an empty seat, patted me on the shoulder, and bustled out the door.

The boy was chubby and slightly freckled. We blinked at each other before he cleared his throat and held out a hand.

"Haru Yamashita, pleasure to meet you," he said, a faint Johto accent drawling his words.

I smiled back and shook his hand.

"Why are you only getting a license now?" he continued, "You're much too old to be starting your journey."

"I've never really had the chance before, I suppose," I answered. "My family runs the daycare south of here, so I've always been much too busy."

He raised a dark eyebrow and I bit back a flash of irritation at being judged by a boy almost half my age. "Do you even have a team?"

Fortunately I was saved from having to answer by Professor Juniper bustling back into the room and handing me a lumpy, silver-wrapped package. "I'll explain the introduction gift to you after my speech so that Haru doesn't have to sit through it twice, but please get yourself comfortable and save all questions until the end, okay?"

Professor Juniper stood up and released a whimsicott, which perched on her shoulder.

"As you know, I am Professor Sabina Juniper, the world's leading expert on the origins of pokémon and the intersection of pokémon and legend. I've been involved in research of the existence of Mew and Cresselia, and have discovered the existence of the mythical pokémon Keldeo. And for you two in this room, I will serve as your regional pokémon professor and advisor.

"In short, I will be functioning as a mentor for you as you undergo your journey. I and my research assistants will be reviewing your pokédex entries and managing your PC pokémon, and this entire lab will always be at your service for advice and counseling at difficult turns on your adventure. In other towns, the local Gym Leaders might take on this role but since Nuvema has no Gym, you're stuck with me.

"The bonds you form with your team and your fellow trainers will last you a lifetime and- if you choose to specialize in ghost types- beyond even that. Every achievement, every setback or victory will be through the joint effort of you and your team. Most importantly though, remember to be kind. You'll never know when you'll need a helping hand and what goes around almost always comes around."

Haru scoffed below his breath, but Professor Juniper pressed on, "People decide to go on a pokémon journey for several reasons- power, wealth, fame, freedom, knowledge, self-discovery. Only you can decide when your journey is over and there is no shame in having to return home. Whimsicott, do you have anything to add?"

Her whimsicott blinked and hopped off Professor Juniper's shoulder, puffing out its chest. "Whim, imsi, sim. Cott whimsi." It nodded to itself, obviously pleased by its speech.

"Thanks, sweetie. Now, do either of you have questions for me?"

Neither Haru nor I raised our hands and Professor Juniper smiled. "Excellent! Haru, you're free to go while I explain the beginner's package again."

Haru pushed back his chair with a screech. "Oshawott, let's go."

The oshawott left its playmates with a sigh, dutifully trotting after its trainer.

"Bye Haru! Bye Oshawott!" Professor Juniper called after them. Haru made no reply, and Professor Juniper pulled a face at me as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Lovely boy," she muttered to herself as she motioned to me to unwrap the package. "Anyways, hello! Like I said before, I'm Professor Juniper. Russ is working on putting together your trainer card at the moment, so the rest of your info should be downloaded by tomorrow morning"

Professor Juniper pushed a pokédex towards me. "All trainers get a beginner's pokédex. It doesn't have all of the functions of a professional one, but after your third badge, come back to me and I'll upgrade it to a professional 'dex for free. Essentially," she tapped it on and it blinked to life, "this is a journal and a way to register pokémon when you're in the field. Beginner pokédexes are usually pretty accurate, but please keep in mind that most trainers with this model are around twelve so sometimes the public entry records can be... odd. Your card is what activates the 'dex- we were having trouble with thieves a few years ago so we got rid of automatic entries."

She pressed on a small ridge in the back of the pokédex, and a card slid out. The pokédex shut off as soon as the ridge was pressed. "This is a trainer card. Make sure you don't lose it, it's a huge hassle to replace and you might have to go back to the gyms to get each Leader's confirmation that you beat them in the past. But, this is what contains your medical data and what's going to let you stay at Pokemon Centers for free. Of course, there are limits- only one night and ten meals are covered every week with a healthy team." She reinserted the trainer card into the pokédex and slid it over to me. "You also get five free pokéballs and a regional map to start off."

"All that's left is making sure that you're not going off into the wilderness alone. Do you have a pokémon already, or will you be purchasing a traditional starter?"

I started. "Uh, no, I already have a starter. He's right…" I looked around for him. My heart rate spiked for a second before I realized that the zipper to my bag was open and I could see him inside. I gently picked him up and showed him to Professor Juniper.

"What a cutie!" she cooed. "It's not often you see someone with a psychic as a starter pokémon. How long have you had him?"

"I got him this morning. Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh no, no. Not at all. Psychics are just a little bit harder for a new trainer to manage, but it's not unheard of. He looks young too, so he won't be fully expressing his powers for a while yet. Make sure you register him as your pokémon."

My solosis was still sleeping on my hand, outer membrane contracting slightly. "How do I register him?"

"With your trainer card, simply scan the pokéball it was caught in. It's designed to be as easy as possible, but of course with stronger pokémon there will be a few more steps. You won't have to worry about that for a while yet, though."

Professor Juniper proceeded to show me where my solosis' registration number was on my pokédex. "Of course," she explained, "you can get this done at a pokémon center like a civilian but most of the time you're going to have to register your pokémon in the field. The only time you need to go to a center to register a pokémon is if it was traded."

My pokédex beeped, telling me that my solosis was registered and healthy, but asleep. I wondered idly how it knew that he was asleep, but decided not to ask Professor Juniper. My legs were aching and I felt like I was likely to fall asleep on my feet if I had to listen to another lecture. I thanked Professor Juniper and asked if there was anything else I needed to do.

"No, your medical and dental records are more than adequate to fill in the rest of your information. You're free to leave after picking up your trainer card, or you can stay and ask me any questions you have about training."

"Where can I pick up the card?" I asked.

Professor Juniper pointed out towards the lobby. "Russ, the receptionist, should have it ready by now. And of course, if you think of any new questions, your pokédex is programmed to be able to contact my Xtransciever when able."

I thanked her, picked up my card, and trudged back to the Pokemon Center. It was late, late enough that there was nobody on the roads. In my pack, my still-unnamed solosis slept as I was directed to a cot in the Center's dormitory area and collapsed on it, peeling off sweaty clothes and stuffing them into my bag as quickly as possible.

For whatever reason, I expected my first day as a trainer to be more hectic than this. I still hadn't had an official battle against a trainer or wild pokémon. The hardest part, I thought as I drifted off, was how heavy my stupid backpack was.

_Dear Nali,_

_I'm sorry that I haven't written in so long! We've been in some really remote parts recently. You would love it._

_I wrote down a few experiences for you, so that you won't feel left out._

_A few days ago I saw what I thought was a low-lying fog, but it turned out to be a huge drampa. All of its body was this faded blue color, and it had moss growing on its back and grasses in its beard. It was indescribably beautiful. We made eye contact and_

_You know how when you meet a totem pokémon and you look into its eyes and you can see the history of the islands in their eyes and you know that this pokémon has seen more than you'll ever be able to see? It was like that, but unlike a totem pokémon, the drampa wasn't bound by the rules of its challenge. I was only allowed to leave because it knew I knew that if it wanted to end me, I could do nothing. _

_...in retrospect that sounds terrifying but in the moment it was just this overwhelming awe at the power of these beings that allow us to be a part of their lives._

_Pickerton evolved last month, and I'm not sure if you've ever travelled with a ghost type before, but they're unsettling. He evolved in the middle of the night and I woke up to find him looming over me. Did you know that decidueyes have glowing eyes? Because I didn't and Pickerton was very upset when I screamed. We're over it now, but unfortunately some of our team has been taking a while to warm up to him. Do me a favor and tell him that he's the best boy when you get this letter, okay? He's flown a long way and while he probably appreciates the exercise, he's been having some evolution glumness._

_It's so hard to believe that my tiny rowlet is now a big, scary ghost! He's the first on my team to be fully evolved. How are you and Hoagie doing? I miss you, but I'll be back in town for Mom's birthday._

_Love,_

_Kels_


	3. In Which a Solosis is Named

Waking up the next morning was a chore. My back ached from lugging my backpack around, and my feet hurt because I didn't have the foresight to break in my boots before leaving. I could feel the beginnings of a blister forming on my right heel which would be such a drag. Fortunately I had had the foresight to pack bandaids, which hopefully would delay the blister's formation for longer. I hadn't even changed out of my clothes yesterday, I had been so exhausted.

Worst of all, I had a pounding headache that didn't abate until I realized I didn't want to walk all the way down to the lobby to refill my water bottle, stuck my head under a tap in the washroom and drank for almost a full minute. Staying hydrated was important, noted.

I stood up, wiping my mouth. The washroom had a tiny window, showing that the sun still hadn't risen. Around my head, my solosis was peeping angrily at himself in the mirror.

"That's you, buddy," I said, poking him from behind.

I looked at myself and cringed. My eyes were bloodshot and there were drool tracks down the side of my face that hadn't been washed off while I was drinking. Off the side of my left ear, my solosis was making ugly faces at me. I snorted and stuck my tongue back at him.

I splashed my face and ran a hand through my hair. Was it worth it to take a shower yet? I didn't smell bad, so maybe when I got to the next town.

"Do you want to get an early start to Accumula?" I asked my solosis.

His face smoothed out and he chirped happily. At least one of us was chipper. I stretched, felt my back pop unpleasantly, and went to clean up my sleeping area and get ready to leave.

Downstairs, the Pokemon Center was slowly transferring from night to day shift. There was only one other person in the room, a scruffy-looking man with an equally scruffy dewott asleep on an uncomfortable-looking chair. By the door, a table labelled 'breakfast :)' was stacked neatly with brown paper bags. I took one and looked inside- hard boiled eggs, a bagel, and two poffins. My solosis squealed loudly and dove into the bag to swipe a poffin. The scruffy man's dewott raised its head and glared at us and I cringed, pulling my solosis back out of the bag. He didn't seem to mind my manhandling, munching contentedly on his pilfered poffin.

"I was going to give you them anyways, buddy," I whispered to him, grabbing the bagel for myself. To my delight, the bagel had pecha-flavored jelly on it.

Outside was painted in the greys of pre-dawn, the grass wet with dew and the air pleasantly cool. My solosis and I finished our breakfasts in peace and watched the town slowly come to life as we made our way through Route One.

"Sosi," my solosis said, flying up to me to show me a rock he had picked up.

I blinked back to myself and smiled. "That's a nice rock you have."

He puffed up with the praise and dropped it in my waiting hand before flying off to find more treasures.

"Stay in eyesight," I called after him.

Most of our morning was like that. The path was forested enough that the sun didn't beat down on us like it did yesterday, but after a few hours the humidity and heat became uncomfortable enough that I found us a stream to rest by and cool off. My feet were tired anyways, and my solosis had decided to hitch a ride on my shoulder an hour earlier. I kicked off my boots and socks, dipping my sore feet into the cool water with a sigh of relief. My solosis flung himself at a nearby patrat, which fled with a screech. He mimicked its sound, chasing it to the edge of the forest and looping back to me, looking proud of himself.

"Aren't you hot? The water is nice and cool," I said, flicking some at him.

He screwed up his face and flew back several feet out of range of my water.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I didn't want to spend too long at the stream, but it was so hot outside that I couldn't quite justify leaving it. Besides, my solosis was busy picking a fight with every pokémon that came past. This was training, right? I was learning about his attacks (which consisted of being loud and sometimes slamming into things) and he was learning about my training style (which also consisted of being loud, but had considerably less slamming things).

My Xtransceiver rang, startling me.

"Hello?" I answered.

"It's my little trainer! How are you doing?" My mom cooed, voice staticky over the watch.

I looked over to where my solosis was in a screaming match with a patrat. "I'm doing great. My solosis is, uh, training right now," hearing his name, my solosis began to wander over. "He's pretty strong, I think?"

"Oh, amazing! Matt said that he bred him from two strong pokémon, so it makes sense that he would be strong too. Have you named him anything?"

"I- buddy, no-" I cut myself off as my solosis tried to wriggle around my Xtransceiver for some reason.

"Buddy is a great name for a starter!" my mom said, the sound distorted by my solosis seemingly trying to ooze into the Xtransceiver.

"That's not- wait a second, sorry-" I peeled him off, trapping him inside of my cupped hands and awkwardly trying to raise my wrist with the Xtransceiver to my ear. "That's not his name. I haven't named him yet."

My solosis made a glubbing sound, and I could feel the gears in his brain churning as I watched him open his mouth, exposing his rows of teeth.

"Well, I think Buddy fits very well. Have you caught any pokémon of your own yet?"

He made eye contact with me as he slowly chomped down on my thumb. I swallowed back a pathetic whine. "No, not yet Mom. Look, I have to-"

"Most trainers catch their first pokémon on their first day, you know. We don't want you falling behind everyone else! Nobody takes on the gym with less than three pokémon, and you only have one."

My solosis began oozing out between my fingers like an egg. "Yes, Mom. I need to go now, okay?"

"We've been talking for less than a minute. Can't you spare more time for your mother?" He escaped, and I had less than a second to cover my ears before he screeched.

"I beg your pardon?" my mother said, sounding affronted.

"Sorry, that was my solosis. He sounds upset, I'm going to call you back later, bye." I shut off the call and sighed.

I looked at the little demon slime and bit back some choice words. He was less than a week old, maybe he had never seen an Xtransceiver being used before? But that didn't make sense, he had seen me using it yesterday.

I visualized all of my frustration at both my mother and my pokémon and exhaled it out. "Look, buddy, that was my mom. You can't just interrupt like that, okay?"

"Isiiii…" he said, butting gently against my hand.

Unfortunately for him, that drew attention to his bitemarks, which were beginning to drip blood.

"And this isn't good to do. You can't attack people, you hear? You'll get stronger soon, and if you do soon you could seriously hurt someone. People will think you're a wild pokémon or just out of control and then they could take you away or put you in a pokémon shelter."

He looked up at me with big black eyes, outer layer rippling. His expressions didn't at all match with those of the lillipup and patrat I was used to, but he seemed scared.

"Just don't do either of those things again," I muttered, wiping my bloody thumb on my pants before putting my shoes back on. "We should get going, anyways."

The farther we walked, the clearer my head became and I began to feel guilty for getting mad at him. He was so young, and I should have waited until I had calmed down to talk with him about what he had done wrong, just like I would with a pokémon back home.

I sighed. Tried to think of something to break the silence. "What do you think of being called Buddy?"

My solosis drifted closer, seeming to perk up.

"Mom thought I named you Buddy, but that doesn't sound like a bad name now that I think about it. Do you like it?"

He bobbed up and down. "Sol!"

And like that, the tension was broken. My solosis- Buddy- began to play again, rolling around on my hat and tugging on my backpack's straps. I noticed he steered clear of my Xtransceiver and hands though. I was glad for that; my thumb was still throbbing.

Even though Mom said to catch a new pokémon, I really didn't want to. I had only been with Buddy for a day and a half by now, and I was worried that catching something else would distract me from bonding with him. He seemed plenty strong for the pokémon in this area anyways, I thought as I watched him eye a lillipup sunning itself on the side of the road. I loved lillipup and their loyalty, but there would be more time to catch one later.

As we passed the lillipup, it sat up and barked at us. There was a rustling in the bushes, and suddenly a young boy jumped out, covered in mud and brandishing a stick.

"You! Are you a pokémon trainer?" He demanded, pointing the stick at me.

I nodded, not sure how to respond to him.

"Great! Then we're going to have a battle! Me and Lassie and Pippin have been waiting for a trainer to walk by for aaaaages. Ready?"

"What?"

"Lassie, go!"

The lillipup tackled Buddy, who slipped out of its grasp and began circling above its range of attack. I stumbled over my words for a second before ordering him to hit it back.

He obeyed, headbutting the lillipup hard enough to send it skidding back a meter. It fell on the ground, whining.

The boy stared at it with his mouth open before releasing a purrloin. "Pippin, get it!" he yelled.

The purrloin stretched leisurely, waiting for Buddy to tackle it.

"Buddy, stay away from it! Purrloin are dark types, which you're weak to," I called to him.

He looked at me before giving more space between himself and the purrloin. They were still for a moment before Buddy made an odd squeaking noise, and a rock wobbled towards him. He did a flip, shooting the rock towards the purrloin, who didn't try to dodge until it was too late. All of the purrloin's previous ease vanished, the little pokémon rising up to stand on two feet, front claws unsheathed.

When did Buddy learn that rock trick? "Keep it up!"

"Pippin, use feint attack, like we've been practicing," the boy shouted, waving his stick.

What was a feint attack? "Dodge, Buddy!"

To my dismay, the boy's purrloin seemed to vanish. Buddy let out a squeaky cry of shock as it reappeared directly behind him, batting him straight down to the ground.

I winced at the splatting noise. But, when the boy ordered his purrloin to attack again, he was ready, smashing a clod of dirt he had picked up on the ground into its face. It yowled angrily, temporarily blinded, entirely unable to see the next rock Buddy threw at it.

The purrloin collapsed on the ground, and the boy returned it to its pokeball with a, "Good job, Pippin."

He rubbed a hand against his nose, frowning as I called Buddy back to me with the remaining poffin. "What is that?" the boy asked.

"He's a solosis," I explained. "They're not common in this area."

"That's cheating!" he exclaimed.

"He was out of his pokeball when you challenged me, you didn't have to battle him," I said, trying not to be taken off of my game by a kid half my size.

The boy's face was turning red as he scrunched it up and stuck out his tongue at me. "That's still cheating! And besides, I can't go home now with beat-up pokémon. You'll have to take me home."

I sputtered. "Excuse me? Don't you have a potion or berry or something you can give them?"

"No. So you're gonna take me with you since you made them like this! You're going to Accumula, right?" he said, walking closer to me.

I couldn't believe it. This boy (no way was he old enough to be a trainer!) lost and he still wanted me to do things for him. "Do you even have money to pay the losing fee?"

"Are you really trying to take money from a seven year old?" he said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Are you fu- augh, okay! I'll do it," I relented.

An hour later we arrived in Accumula, the boy and his little baby pokémon happily chattering by our side. No, the boy- Kassim- didn't have any money. Yes, I wasn't the first trainer he had suckered into walking him home. No, his parents wouldn't be worried that he had invited a total stranger into his house.

In return for walking him home though, Kassim said his mother would give make Buddy and I dinner. "It'll be super good!" he promised, sitting me down at a small table.

I remained there, awkward and trying to keep Buddy from poking around until the most heavenly smell began to waft through the door. From there, it was a matter of keeping Buddy from investigating.

Kassim slid down the stairs, clean of mud and followed by his pokémon. "Mom! We have a guest!"

His mother said something that I couldn't quite catch and he turned to me with a grin. "She's making palaw. It's my favorite food emever/em! Dad's in Nimbasa right now, so if you want you can stay the night."

There was a lot to unpack there, but my rumbling stomach focused me on the food. "Palaw?"

Kassim's mouth opened into a little O shape. "You've never had palaw?"

I shook my head.

"It's like, the best thing ever! It's rice with deerling and rindo berries and ginema slices and I could eat it all day every day."

"But," his mother interrupted as she came in, "unfortunately your cruel mother makes you have a varied diet. Do you and your friend want to serve yourselves?"

Kassim grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen, shoving a chipped plate into my hands and piling it high with food before grabbing a plate of his own and running to the dinner table.

As I went to follow him, his mother stepped in front of me. "Thank you for going easy on him," she said, "and for playing along with his antics. I keep telling that boy to stop challenging random trainers, but he never listens. He wants so badly to be a pokémon trainer."

"Oh, I'm not an experienced trainer!" I laughed.

She smiled. "Still, though. Thank you. He doesn't have many friends."

We sat down at the table, our pokémon balancing on small stools to reach their own small plates of pokémon-safe curry.

As promised, Kassim's mother's food was delicious and I barely took the time to breathe between bites. Kassim provided the conversation, with his mother occasionally chiming in. Before I knew it, my belly was comfortably full and Buddy was trying to steal bites of palaw from my plate. I let him, noticing that Kassim's lillipup was cleaning his plate. At some point, Kassim's mother's herdier had joined us and the table was comfortably full. It was nice, I thought as I tried to stifle a yawn.

"Would you like to stay the night?" Kassim's mom asked me.

I briefly thought about the dangers of spending a night in an unknown person's home, but then also considered that I had already spent my night at the pokémon center and really didn't want to spend the night in the forest. "Yes please, ma'am."

"So polite!" she giggled. "The couch should be big enough for you. Kassim's school starts at seven, so breakfast will be ready by then. Oh! What happened to your thumb? Let's clean that up so that it doesn't get infected, that's a nasty bite."

Buddy had fallen asleep in my bag again, so I carefully set it down beside the huge, bright red couch as Kassim's mother went to look for an antiseptic. When she finally found it, I was sitting on the couch, watching Kassim play some sort of handheld game, his purrloin draped over his shoulders like some sort of demonic scarf.

The antiseptic stung as she applied it and she tutted. "What did this to you? Such sharp teeth!"

"Ah, my solosis actually. He wanted to talk on the Xtransceiver."

She looked at me. "You really are a greenhorn, aren't you."

I shrugged.

"Why did you start so late?" she asked, wrapping a bandaid around my thumb.

"I never really had the chance before, I guess," I said.

"Well, if you ever need anything, my Xtransceiver number is U32-455, okay?"

I tapped it in to my contacts, hesitating over her name before just putting it in as _Kassim's Mom_.

"If you're ever in the area, feel free to stop by. Depending if any of Kassim's other trainer friends are staying over, you might not be able to sleep on the couch, but there will always be enough food to go around," she said, standing up and brushing stray fur off of her pants. "Kassim, you need to go to bed. You have school tomorrow." Her herdier barked as she stood up and left the room.

Kassim grumbled for a few moments before leaving as well with a, "Goodnight, trainer!"

"Goodnight, Kassim," I said.

* * *

_Kabuli Palaw_

_Recipe by Selma Khan_

_Kabuli Palaw is my favorite food to make! I remember when I was little, going to the supermarket with Grandma to pick out the berries and spices we would cook with that night. She would always buy me a slice of cake on our way home, which I would eat as the spices simmered on the stove. My son doesn't love cooking like I do, but when we have the time he always helps me cook this dish. Even though he's usually mostly full from snacking by the time it's ready, he always has room in his tummy to spare for some palaw! _

_What you'll need:_

_-150 millilitres of vegetable oil_

_-1 large ginema, shredded… _


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